You’ve probably closed your inground pool by now, or you will very soon. If you have a standard winter pool cover, you probably need a pool cover pump. Solid pool covers will collect rainwater and snowmelt, leaving you with standing water in the middle of the cover. That might not sound like a big deal, but it can be a safety issue.
Rainwater is heavy. Just 1” of rain on a square foot of land or pool cover weighs 5.2 lbs.. That means if your pool cover has a surface of approximately 288 sq. ft. (a 12 x 24 ft. pool), one inch of rain can leave you with 1497 pounds, or ¾ of a ton of water weighing down your pool cover! Some of it may drain away from around the edges. But much of it will flow toward the center of the pool cover.
The weight of standing water can damage your winter pool cover, and pull it away from the edges of the pool. This leaves a gap that allows debris, a pet, or even a small child to get into your pool.
A Pool Cover Pump Is a Good Solution
Much like a sump pump removes water from your basem*nt, a pool cover pump removes standing water from your pool cover. The pump sits on top of your pool cover. You can connect it to a garden hose, to direct the water away from the pool area.
Your better quality pool cover pumps come on automatically. They turn on when they sense a certain water level, just like your sump pump does. Manual pool cover pumps are also available, but you have to turn it on and off when you think it should run. We recommend automatic pool cover pumps, for ease of use, and safety. Heavy rain can happen while you’re sleeping, or while you’re out of town for the holidays. What happens then?
Or, You Can Get a GLI Pool Safety Cover
If keeping an eye on standing water on your pool cover seems like a pain, there is an alternative. With GLI pool safety covers, you have a few drainage options. You can get all of the peace of mind with a pool safety cover, and carefree drainage with a mesh safety cover. Or you can still have a solid safety cover, but go for the GLI standard option of a mesh panel in the middle. This allows rain and snowmelt to drain away. We will still recommend putting a pump in the pool on the top step to keep water from getting above your skimmer.
Get Peace of Mind with Winter Pool Care Packages
If closing and winterizing your own pool sounds like a bit much, check out our winter pool care packages. And even if you’ve already closed your pool, you may want to consider our Winter Watch Service. We do a number of things at each visit, including:
- Check the pool water levels
- Lower the water level as necessary
- Check to make sure all equipment is protected/working properly.
Call now or send us an email and we’ll be in touch shortly.
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